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The Wish Project is wishing for help

David Fitzgerald, executive director of The Wish Project, in the nonprofit's base of operations in Lowell on Tuesday. SUN/Amaris Castillo

LOWELL -- The Wish Project needs to find a new home soon, and is raising funds to complete its move.

The nonprofit's base of operations at Foundry Industrial Park in Lowell must be vacated by Aug. 19 per landlord Jack Paley of Frontier Development. On late Tuesday morning, The Wish Project's executive director, David Fitzgerald, sat in his tiny office and considered what would happen if a new location isn't secured by the deadline.

"We've got our foot to the gas pedal trying to find a place without seeming desperate," Fitzgerald said.

The Wish Project offers baby goods, household items and more to about 50,000 people in need annually and, for years, its rent has been below market value. Fitzgerald said the organization, which has been an at-will tenant since 2013, pays $50,000 yearly in rent. He said when the lease expired in 2013, it was never renewed.

"We asked them to sign a lease many times and they declined, so they did not want to sign a lease and the reason they said they didn't want a lease was because they have been trying to buy their own building," Paley said. "They wanted that flexibility... I want to stress that was their decision, not ours."

Fitzgerald, who took over leadership of the nonprofit in 2016 after founder Donna Hunnewell stepped down, said he was never offered a lease by Paley. He said he met with Paley to go over landlord-tenant matters when he first began working for The Wish Project and it was at that time that Fitzgerald said he told Paley that he'd be OK with a lease.

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"He never presented or offered me a lease after that," said Fitzgerald, admitting that the subject was never broached again. "If he offered a lease in the past and it was refused, that could be true. I can't speak for that."

Paley said Fitzgerald's predecessor didn't want a lease, adding that Fitzgerald could have pursued a lease if he wanted one.

Fitzgerald said he was given a 30-day notice in early June to vacate the premises. He and Paley then corresponded a few times before the deadline was set for Aug.

Staff of The Wish Project work Tuesday in the nonprofit s base of operations in Lowell.

19. Paley said The Wish Project was three months behind on rent prior to the notice and that it only recently became current. Fitzgerald disagreed, saying the nonprofit has been late on rent every month for the past three months, but that they were not three months behind. He declined to comment further.

Fitzgerald said the goal for the nonprofit is to someday buy its own building. For now, he is seeking the community's help in raising money for the move, which is estimated to cost over $50,000.

Items currently in the warehouse will have to be placed in storage if a new location isn't secured by the deadline.

"We'd probably have to suspend some of them (services) or have alternate forms of providing the stuff to them (clients)," Fitzgerald said. "We certainly wouldn't be able to do the same thing, but we could have a day where we could go to our storage facility and hand out stuff."

Paley said he gave The Wish Project more time.

"Hopefully they found a new home. We are looking to help them move. They are very, very nice people, but some of their customers and clients repeatedly drop stuff off when they're not open and it's creating a problem," Paley said.

Jill Maker, director of operations at The Wish Project, said it's been a stressful time.

"I see the people," she said of the families in need who stop by The Wish Project for items. "Without somewhere to give out the stuff where it's organized, it's going to take a lot more time and energy that I think will hinder our clients."

Fitzgerald said The Wish Project is growing and he expects there to be a spike in those who need services from the nonprofit.

"The community of Lowell has always supported The Wish Project," he said. "It's been a grassroots movement... if you want to help The Wish Project, now's the time."

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